8/14/2014
The Anaheim/Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau, Visit Baltimore and the San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau announce the formation of Synchronicities, a three-city partnership designed to assist meeting professionals in maximizing return on investment.

Anaheim, Baltimore and San Antonio conducted in-depth research with meeting professionals via focus groups and surveys to shape Synchronicities into a partnership that delivers what meeting professionals and attendees want most, an unbeatable combination of value and resources. The partnership assists professionals in achieving their specific business objectives by offering customizable options based on the needs of individual meetings. This personalization is the foundation of Synchronicities, along with a seamless knowledge transfer between the three cities, and a united services and marketing platform.

“San Antonio is excited to work alongside Baltimore and Anaheim to offer Synchronicities. Aligning under this partnership, allows us to combine our resources and increase marketing reach, while offering a united sales and services platform across three desirable destinations,” said San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau Director, Casandra Matej.

“One of the strengths of the Synchronicities partnership is the sharing of intellectual capital between the three cities,” said Tom Noonan, president and CEO of Visit Baltimore. “The communication between the cities will ensure consistent service delivery and simplify the meeting planning process.”

“Synchronicities provides meetings professionals with a comprehensive solution when considering events in different parts of the country,” said Jay Burress, President and CEO of the Anaheim Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau. “Senior leadership from all three destinations has dedicated the time and resources to make our solution very valuable for planners and we are seeing results from our joint effort."

An early example of Synchronicities success is the partnership with the National Postal Forum, which selected Anaheim, Baltimore and San Antonio to host their annual conference in 2015, 2017 and 2018, respectively.

“I was initially drawn to Synchronicities because meeting professionals are increasingly finding themselves doing more with less, making the partnerships that we have all the more valuable,” said Maureen Goodman, executive director of National Postal Forum. “The Synchronicities partnership made my job so much easier thanks to the stellar communication between the three cities, and their ability to fully understand and anticipate my needs. Synchronicities is beneficial to all parties involved.”

Working together through Synchronicities also provides enhanced opportunities for the three destinations to invest in industry education, a priority shared by all cities. Partnering with esteemed organizations IAEE, PCMA and Association Forum of Chicagoland, cultivates relationships with influential leaders, allowing the destinations to better anticipate industry trends, and share these findings with their clients.

In addition, Synchronicities offers the chance to meet in three of the nation’s premier destinations:

San Antonio
San Antonio’s exquisite culture and walkable meeting scene intertwine along the picturesque River Walk. Located in historic downtown, the River Walk connects the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center with thousands of hotel rooms, the city’s burgeoning culinary scene and authentic venues. San Antonio is currently investing $325 million into the transformation of its convention center to offer 514,000 square feet of contiguous exhibit space, including 86,500 square feet of column-free multipurpose space and a new 54,000 square foot ballroom.

Baltimore
Baltimore is easy to get to and easy to get around with a walkable convention campus featuring the Baltimore Convention Center with 300,000 square feet of exhibit space, and the famed Inner Harbor. Great restaurants, world-class attractions and museums, outstanding sports venues and 8,500 hotel rooms (5,500 committable) are part of the city’s compact, convenient “convention community.” Neighborhoods – from trendy Harbor East and kitschy Hampden, to the cultural hub of Mount Vernon to historic Federal Hill and Fell’s Point – are great places for attendees to explore and discover Baltimore.

Anaheim
Anaheim is centrally located between Los Angeles and San Diego, in the heart of Orange County. Enjoy shopping, dining and nightlife at the newly opened Anaheim Packing House, which is just steps away from Anaheim’s historic Center Street. The Anaheim Convention Center will begin a $180 million expansion that will add 200,000 square feet of flexible, multipurpose space to the existing 815,000 square feet of exhibit space. The new expansion features finished ceilings, carpet on both levels and an outdoor terrace overlooking Katella Ave. where guests can enjoy Anaheim’s year-round balmy weather.